1) Employees can receive mixed messages between the company culture & employee benefits
2) Stress comes from unbalanced work/life expectations
3) Poor Performances can be linked to unbalanced work/life
4) Employees who have a healthy balance in their life find more satisfaction in their work
5) Work performance and productivity increases when employees are able to balance work/life
6) Happy employees create a happy company culture
7) Company culture reflects the health of the company
8) It's less about the benefits provided by the company and more about how the employee navigates and utilizes those benefits & resources

I remember one time I was talking with one of my employees discussing the expectations I had for him. Under the glass of my desk there is a small sign that says "Hold Me Accountable". He told me in a sarcastic way, he did not want to be held accountable. Although, he admitted that he needed it, as we all do. This illustrates why some think accountability is a dirty word. Accountability fits in with delegation because it is really the linchpin to making sure the delegation is effective.
It is all well and good to delegate something to someone else on the team but what good does it do if that person does not execute and fulfill the order? Therefore, the last leg to successful delegation is accountability. I will discuss two elements of accountability; measurements and accountability cadence.

​Measurements for Accountability
How will we know the delegation has been successful if we have no way to measure success. So, once we have created and communicated the expectations of the delegation, we need to put in measurements of key or leading indicators that will tell us that the delegation is being successful. For example, if we have delegated a task of sending out emails or letters to prospects, we need an exact measurement of what will be send out and when. Or if we delegate to someone to check on a crew that is working remotely, have the delegate report the percentage of the job completed or measure what is actually happening and how much on schedule the project is completed and when it will be finished.
 
Accountability Cadence
One area to pay attention when delegating is how often should there be communication between the delegator and the delegate. I like to refer to this as “accountability cadence”. Just as a drum gives a band a cadence, the frequency of check-ins and reports is the accountability cadence. For example, should we report the results daily, weekly, hourly or annually? The other part of accountability cadence is who will report to who. Will the delegator go to the work to check on it or will the delegate report progress with records or communications? How will those communications be carried out? Is there a way to automate the progress to be reported? Will we use emails, texts, online applications or phone calls?
 
Accountability vs. Micro-Management
There is a difference between holding someone accountable and micro-managing that person. Accountability is simply making sure what is expected is accomplished. Micro-managing is diving into the “how” and “what” to do to accomplish those things. Once direction is given to the one delegated to carry out the task or objective then the delegator needs to step out of the way unless he or she is asked for help. So, just because one is asking for a progress report, does not mean that they are micro-managing the person or project. They are simply making sure that everything is on track.
 
Accountability is critical to success. Everyone needs accountability whether they want to admit it or not. Some more than others but in delegation, leaders must put accountability measures in place to ensure successful transfer of tasks and duties to other team members.
If you need help in your organization on delegation and accountability contact Eric Merz @ eric.merz@delightedcoaching.com or use this link to schedule a short call to discuss. https://my.timetrade.com/book/BL39M

 ​In coaching we like to make sure we are trending our topics in a way that promotes self-accountability. It’s one thing to read articles and mentally agree with the points that are made. However, it’s another thing to actually implement, measure, and reframe those points into your business.  Last month we read about the PROCESS of delegation, this month I’d like to address the POWER of delegation. 
 
First let’s define POWER – as defined by dictionary.com, it is “the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behavior of others or the course of events.”
 
Before we can really flex our Power to influence others we must start with ourselves. Let’s consider our own minds and our own abilities. Sometimes that means we have to really step back and ask ourselves “what am I doing that is keeping me from advancing to the next level?”
 
I can relate to this question very well. When considering my need to grow our business I continued to tell myself… 
 
“I’m too busy...If I could only stop focusing on administrative duties, I could get out and sell more” OR “I am too busy selling to follow up with administrative duties.”
 
Just as recommended in last month’s article the Process of delegation, I wrote down what I was doing. What did this take? Power over me. I needed to MAKE the Time. It wasn’t going to find its way into my already overpacked schedule. I had to schedule the time in to my calendar to stop, review, and write down my needs. 
 
In the same way, we must exercise Power over our schedules and our time before we can begin to delegate to others. Make your schedule a priority, and schedule time to review Last week’s list of options for delegation. And for fun, submit your success stories to our team to win an opportunity to be featured in our November Monthly Newlsetter!

***Success Stories can be submitted to info@delightedcoaching.com
 
Happy Delegating!
 
Delighted Coaching Team!